China Aid Association (Hong Kong–April 23, 2013) Dennis Balcombe, a well-known American pastor taken into police custody in Henan province, has been released and was back in Hong Kong on Monday, Balcombe's relatives in the United States told ChinaAid.

ChinaAid's report that Balcombe's whereabouts were unknown after he was put under house arrest following a police raid Saturday on a house church revival meeting he was attending in Nanyang, Henan province, elicited concern from many quarters. U.S. State Department officials contacted ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu for more details and offered to help.

On Monday morning, Fu received the following e-mail in Chinese from a Miss Lin with Balcombe's Revival Chinese Ministries International in Hong Kong:

“Hello Mr. Fu,
“I am from Revival Chinese Ministries International in Hong Kong. The report on China Aid's website that Pastor Dennis Balcombe has been arrested and is under house arrest is false and does not accord with the facts. He was simply in Henan province to visit Christian friends and on his way stopped to pay a visit with the Public Security departments. It was not as the website reported; please issue a correction.
“Ms. Lin”

ChinaAid has carefully researched its report and believes it to be clear and correct and not false. While ChinaAid does not know what Pastor Balcombe's plans were for going to Henan province, the fact that he was at the revival meeting and that he and other attendees had their freedom restricted by police and were later released is irrefutable. As to whether Pastor Balcombe paid "a visit to the Public Security departments," ChinaAid had no reliable information and therefore did not include this in its report.

"Bob Fu has dedicated his life to bringing freedom of religion to the Chinese people. His story is a testimony to the power of faith and an inspiration to people struggling to break free from oppression." —Mrs. Laura Bush